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Philippa Gregory

CBE
Gregory in 2011
Gregory in 2011
Born (1954-01-09) 9 January 1954 (age 71)
Nairobi, Colony of Kenya (modern-day Nairobi County, Republic of Kenya)
Occupation Novelist
Language English
Alma mater University of Sussex
University of Edinburgh
Period 1987–present
Genre Historical fiction, romance, fantasy
Notable awards RoNA Award
Spouse
  • Peter Chislett (divorced)
  • Paul Carter (divorced)
  • Anthony Mason (divorced)
Children 2

Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is a famous English writer. She writes historical novels, which are stories set in the past. She has been publishing books since 1987.

One of her most famous books is The Other Boleyn Girl (2001). This book won an award in 2002 and was even made into two movies. A magazine called AudioFile has called her "the queen of British historical fiction." This means she is very good at writing historical stories set in Britain.

Early Life and Education

Philippa Gregory was born on 9 January 1954 in Nairobi, which was then part of Kenya. Her father was a radio operator. When she was two years old, her family moved to Bristol, England.

She went to Colston's Girls' School. After school, she studied journalism in Cardiff. She also worked for a newspaper called Portsmouth News for a year.

Later, she went to the University of Sussex to study English literature. She then changed to study history. In 1982, she earned a degree in history from Sussex University. She also worked for BBC radio for two years.

In 1985, she earned her Ph.D. degree from the University of Edinburgh. Her Ph.D. was about books from the 1700s. She has also taught at several universities.

Writing Career

20190831EJ1137 (48684512463)
Philippa Gregory signing books at a festival in 2019

Philippa Gregory has written many novels. Most of her stories are set in different historical times. She often writes about the Tudor period in the 16th century.

One of her books, A Respectable Trade, was about the slave trade in England. She adapted this book into a TV show for the BBC. This show was nominated for a BAFTA award.

She has also written books for children. Some of her novels have won awards. Many of them have been turned into TV shows or movies.

Famous Novels and Series

Her most successful novel is The Other Boleyn Girl, published in 2001. This book was made into a BBC TV series in 2003. It was also made into a movie in 2008, starring famous actors like Natalie Portman.

The Other Boleyn Girl is part of a larger series of books. These books are about the Plantagenets and Tudors, who were royal families in England. This series is now called The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels.

Some of the books in this series include:

  • The White Queen (2009)
  • The Red Queen (2010)
  • The Lady of the Rivers (2011)
  • The Kingmaker's Daughter (2012)
  • The White Princess (2013)
  • The Last Tudor (2017)

Many of these books have been adapted into popular TV series. For example, The White Queen TV series in 2013 was based on three of her novels. The White Princess and The Spanish Princess are also TV series based on her books.

A newspaper called The Telegraph said that Philippa Gregory has done a great job. She has brought to life many important historical women. These women were often only known from family trees before.

In 2011, she wrote a short story for a book that helped plant trees. This book has helped plant about 50,000 trees.

In 2021, Philippa Gregory received a special award called the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This was for her work in literature and charity. In 2024, her play about Richard III was performed in theaters.

Charity Work

Philippa Gregory runs a small charity called Gardens for The Gambia. This charity helps build wells in school gardens in The Gambia, a country in Africa. She started this charity in 1993.

The charity has dug almost 200 wells. These wells provide water for school gardens. The gardens grow food for the children. They also grow extra crops to sell. The money from selling crops helps buy school supplies.

The charity also helps with beekeeping and feeding programs. They also fund workshops for students. They are working to install bigger water systems in remote areas.

Philippa Gregory also supports the The UK Chagos Support Association. This group helps the Chagos islanders. These people were moved from their homes by the British government. This happened in the 1960s and 1970s to build a US airbase. Gregory often talks about their situation. She tries to get the government to help them.

Personal Life

Philippa Gregory wrote her first novel, Wideacre, while she was finishing her Ph.D. She lived in a small house with her first husband and their baby daughter.

Works

Novels

The Wideacre trilogy
  • Wideacre (1987)
  • The Favoured Child (1989)
  • Meridon (1990)
Tradescant series
  • Earthly Joys (1998)
  • Virgin Earth (1999)
The Plantagenet and Tudor novels
  • The Other Boleyn Girl (2001)
  • The Queen's Fool (2003)
  • The Virgin's Lover (2004)
  • The Constant Princess (2005)
  • The Boleyn Inheritance (2006)
  • The Other Queen (2008)
  • The White Queen (2009)
  • The Red Queen (2010)
  • The Lady of the Rivers (2011)
  • The Kingmaker's Daughter (2012)
  • The White Princess (2013)
  • The King's Curse (2014)
  • The Taming of the Queen (2015)
  • Three Sisters, Three Queens (2016)
  • The Last Tudor (2017)

Philippa Gregory has suggested an order to read these books. This order follows the real history of the people and events.

The Order of Darkness series
  • Changeling (2012)
  • Stormbringers (2013)
  • Fools' Gold (2014)
  • Dark Tracks (2018)
Fairmile series
  • Tidelands (2019)
  • Dark Tides (2020)
  • Dawnlands (2022)
Stand-alone novels
  • Mrs. Hartley and the Growth Centre, or Alice Hartley's Happiness (1992)
  • The Wise Woman (1992)
  • Fallen Skies (1994)
  • A Respectable Trade (1995)
  • Perfectly Correct (1996)
  • The Little House (1998)
  • Zelda's Cut (2000)

Short Stories

  • Bread and Chocolate (2000)

Children's Books

Princess Florizella series (picture books)
  • Princess Florizella (1988)
  • Florizella and the Wolves (1991)
  • Florizella and the Giant (1992)
Stand-alone children's books
  • Diggory and the Boa Conductor (1996)
  • The Little Pet Dragon (1997)
  • A Pirate Story (1999)

Plays

  • Richard, My Richard (2024)

Non-fiction

  • The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King's Mother (2011)

Adaptations of Her Works

Many of Philippa Gregory's books have been made into movies or TV shows:

  • A Respectable Trade (1998) - a TV drama
  • The Other Boleyn Girl (2003) - a TV movie
  • The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) - a major film
  • The Little House (2010) - a TV miniseries
  • The White Queen (2013) - a TV drama series
  • The White Princess (2017) - a TV miniseries
  • The Spanish Princess (2019–2020) - a TV series

Images for kids

  • Philippa Gregory at the 2024 Edinburgh International Book Festival

    Philippa Gregory at the 2024 Edinburgh International Book Festival

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Philippa Gregory para niños

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